Police arrest five PTI lawmakers in crackdown inside Punjab Assembly

Police arrest five PTI lawmakers in crackdown inside Punjab Assembly

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Minutes after Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari wrote a letter to Inspector General of Police (IGP), Police launched an operation inside the provincial assembly and apprehended five members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

A chaos ensued in Punjab Assembly after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) lawmakers threw "lotas" at Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari as he arrived to chair the session for the election of the Chief Minister.

The PTI lawmakers set off a ruckus in the Assembly as they brought "lotas" to the House and started chanting "lota, lota (turncoats)", lashing out at dissident PTI members, who parted ways with the party and decided to support the Opposition.

The lawmakers of the ruling party also threw "lotas" at Mazari and then attacked him despite the presence of security guards. Mazari was also slapped by PTI members, following which, he was escorted by Sergeant-At-Arms.

Those arrested include Wasiq Abbasi, Nadeem Qureshi, Ijaz Khan, taimur Ahmed and Umer Tanveer.

Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari writes letter to IGP, Chief Secretary

Earlier, Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari had written the letter to Chief Secretary Punjab and Inspector General Punjab (IG) Punjab to ensure the peace while conducting the CM Punjab voting today, and he has also demanded to deploy police personnel in civil uniform in Punjab Assembly.

It may be recalled that Members of Punjab Assembly belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had slapped and pulled hairs of Dost Muhammad Mazari ahead of election of Chief Minister of Punjab.

According to text of the letter Mazari wrote, “Today’s meeting should be held in any case and police personnel should be deployed in civil uniform to counter any misconduct. I was tortured by PTI’s lawmakers including Umar Butt, Wasiq Abbasi, Nadeem Qureshi and Shujah Nawaz. I held the Punjab assembly session in accordance to the LHC’s orders.”

Mazari wrote in letter, he had been tortured today to sabotage the assembly session and action should be taken against those members according to the law. "I will fulfil my constitutional and legal duty [...] the attack against me was orchestrated, it was not abrupt," the deputy speaker said.

Pervaiz Elahi criticizes police

Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi, on the other hand, strongly criticized police for entering into the house saying they did not have th authority to do so.

The speaker said that Inspector General Police Rao Sardar Ali was responsible for this. Elahi said the IGP should be sent behind bars for one month over this incident.

There was commotion inside the provincial assembly with some of the members from the treasury benches throwing chairs at the table of the speaker. The members surrounded the deputy speaker, kicked and chanting slogans against him.

 

 

 

 

More details follow ...